About That Yellow Fever Vaccine…Forget I Mentioned It
Date: 07/04/2007On June 12 we reported on new legislation regarding the yellow fever vaccine. The National Assembly here had passed a draft law that would require all visitors to Panama to present a yellow fever vaccination card for entry.
The draft law was then forwarded to the President to ratify. Local media have just reported that the President has rejected the draft law as worded, saying that the measure should not be applied indiscriminately to all visitors.
Ministry of Health (MINSA) representative Itzel de Hewit says that the Ministry will review the wording and edit the draft. The proposed legislation will then have to return to the Assembly for debate and ratification before the President is asked to sign.
De Hewit says the Ministry's goal is to ensure that visitors from countries with proven incidences of yellow fever and other public health threats, such as cholera, are vaccinated before entering Panama.
Although MINSA has yet to specify which countries will be targeted, it is likely that visitors from North America and Europe will continue to be exempt from the requirement.
Institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO) continue to recommend the yellow fever vaccination and anti-malarial treatment only for visitors going to certain rural areas in Panama, such as the Province of Darien, the Kuna Yala or San Blas regions, Bocas del Toro, Colón, and East Panama, including the district of Chepo. This does not include Panama City and the Panama Canal zone.
Best Regards,
Jessica Ramesch
Editor, Panama Insider
International Living
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